Corporate consolidation and influence have ballooned as central issues in American politics, thanks in large part to the rise of Big Tech, which garnered regulatory attention from both former President Donald Trump, and President Joe Biden. Yet, as the 2024 election nears, voters still lack clear answers on how each candidate will approach antitrust issues. Both Trump and Kamala Harris have largely sidestepped the topic, raising concerns about corporate clout and influence without explicitly naming enforcement policy. However, past actions provide clues to how they each might approach antitrust issues in office. 

Elusive Antitrust Agendas

During his 2016 campaign, Trump was vocal about antitrust, promising to block the AT&T and Time Warner merger citing concerns over concentrated power. His administration was also more aggressive on antitrust than typical Republican governments. His DOJ and FTC increased scrutiny of vertical mergers and acquisitions of nascent competitors, and the concentration of market power, particularly in the technology sector. Notably, they filed landmark cases against Google and Facebook, though Biden often gets credit (or blame). Yet, Trump's current platform is vague on the topic, instead outlining limited regulation for emerging technology like cryptocurrency.